An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/läugnen

by Friedrich Kluge

läugnen, verb, ‘to contradict, deny,’ from the equivalent Middle High German löugenen, lougenen, lougen, Old Low German louginen, lougnen, weak verb; corresponding to Old Saxon lôgnian, Anglo-Saxon lêhnan, lŷgnan, Gothic laugnjan, weak verb, ‘to deny’; Old Icelandic leyna, ‘to conceal’ (Gothic galaugnjan, ‘to be concealed’), with the loss of a g before the n. A common Teutonic weak verb with the meaning ‘to deny’; it is a derivative of an Old High German noun lougna, feminine, ‘denial’ (Old Icelandic laun), which is formed by gradation from the stem of lügen (root lug). Compare lügen.